Charlie bone and the dreamers' society
by p-p-p-palindrome
Summary: complete Just Another term, Right? With More Endowments, Danger, Sideswitching, and even Deaths, Just another Term just got Exciting. Four-years-later note: Saved from deletion out of love and a touch of masochism. Continue with caution.
1. Chapter 1: fire!

Charlie Bone #5

CONTAINS C.O.M. SPIONLERS! Continue on your own will. You have been warned.

I do not own any part of the original Charlie Bone plot or its Characters.

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Charlie Bone rolled out of bed and groaned. It was 10:50 Monday morning, and he was already late for about four things, including breakfast, the bus, start-of-term assembly, and school. Got up out of the tangled blanket and went down for breakfast.

"CHARLIE BONE, YOU GET BACK UPSTAIRS THIS INSTANT! TARDINESS DOES NOT DESERVE BREAKFAST!"

There was no need to ask who that was. Grandma Bone, a stiff old lady clad in grey, was the only one Charlie knew that could yell _that _loud this early in the morning. Reluctantly, Charlie trudged back up stairs.

Uncle Paton was at INGLEDEW'S bookshop for some "early studying" and Amy Bone, Charlie's mother and only parent, was at work in the local grocery store, so Charlie hurried out the door to reach the bus.

"Don't forget your cape, Charlie!" called a tired Maisie from the porch, holding a sapphire cape and a paper bag that smelled suspiciously like cinnamon buns. Maisie smiled as she handed him the bag.

"Bye, sweet. Don't let those terrible Yewbeam aunts get to you!" she whispered as she hugged him tightly. He waved back as he sprinted down Filbert Street to the nearest bus stop.

It turned out that the bus was just as late as Charlie was, so he got there just in time. As he got on the bus and sat next to his best friend and former piano teacher, Fidelio, he felt a small twang of guilt. Did he know the news of Olivia? The other children of the red king were informed, but Fidelio? _'I'd better ask' _Charlie thought to himself.

"hey, Fidelio, have you heard the news about…" Fidelio interrupted. "Olivia? Ya. She seems exited." _he _seemed sad, though, his eyes had a downcast look, and- if it weren't just Charlie's eyes- his hair had lost some of it's cheery red hue. He stared glumly off into the window, and looked back, a look of terror on his face.

"Charlie, that school's on fire! Over there, look!" But it wasn't just any school- it was Charlie's old one. Odd enough, the fire had a purple-ish tinge. Could this fire be the result of an endowment? The blue bus stopped, and Charlie felt the urge to get off the buss and try to put the fire out, even though he could do nothing to help. Nonetheless, Charlie followed Billy and Gabriel of the bus. On the other side of the burning school, a green bus could be seen stopped, with three children in front- Tancred, Lysander, and Emma, all endowed. The green-caped trio rushed over to the blue bus.

"Any news on who started the fire?" asked a boy with blond hair. Tancred Torrson, who was also endowed, could bring storms. Charlie shook his head. "Any way of stopping it?" Lysander laughed a nice, warming chuckle. "See that flame? That's no normal fire, that is. Someone in there's endowed. So, if the fire wasn't meant to kill and destroy, we're all set!" Billy Raven, a small albino bay with white hair and deep red eyes, spoke up. "And if it is meant to kill and destroy?" Billy was also endowed. He could converse with animals. The six looked to the school, then to the bus. The children had there faces pressed to the windows. All of them but Fidelio whose hair- or was it just a trick of the light? Was brown.

Mentally shaking his attention back to the fire, he asked the question again. "just that." Answered Lysander. "it would continue to destroy everything 'till the maker commands it to stop."

As if his words were magic, the fire stopped, and the school looked exactly like it would every other Monday morning, except that it was empty. As he re-entered the bus, something his uncle told him came back form the subconscious. _Ben Brown sure is an odd boy. Maybe he is a child of the red king after all…_

Could Ben have gotten back from Hong-Kong yet? Could he've started the fire? It was a possibility.


	2. Chapter 2: the teacher's meeting

An author's note along the way…

Ignore speaking grammar (ex. I weren't) when Charlie is speaking. He isn't the most grammatically inclined person in the book, so I thought it would add to the story if he said a few things wrong. Anything else, go on and criticize. : )

Chapter 2

Mr. Akole franticly searched for the telephone number for Bloor's academy. It was the school policy- any thing weird form a child- any child- and call Bloor's. Immediately. What happened to the children, no one knew. "Surely setting fire to a school without aid, just to leave it perfectly fine is weird, right Mr. Tibbles?" he asked the class hamster. Mr. Tibbles squeaked in alarm as he was addressed and ran into the plastic hamster-hut. Yes, this girl was weird, all right.

He looked out the window to see a large man coming out the passenger seat of a black, badly-parked car in the "bus zone". He walked up the side walk and out of his view. No sooner than that he heard the door close (all the windows were open to let the smoke out) he heard a large 'BANG!' on the door, which echoed around the walls.

"Mr. Bloor? Is that you? Of course it's you. Come in!" This man- Mr. Bloor- looked larger two feet away than twenty, which is understandable, but this man was colossal. He was around 6 foot 7 and looked around 250 pounds, with which he would be able to snap the very short, very scrawny Mr. Akole in two.

"How…how could I b… be of your assistance?" he had developed a stutter. Mr. Bloor, on the other hand, glanced around the room, unimpressed. "Is he blindfolded? I mean after what he did, he could go on rampaging around the whole city…"

But Mr. Bloor never got to finish. Mr. Akole, a nerdy man with book smarts but not street smarts, had done the second most dangerous thing you could do to Mr. Bloor, following after tripping him. He Interrupted.

"First of all, I don't know what academy rules recommend we do, but in a public school, we don't blind fold our students here. Next, Eboni's a she. Lastly, what do you want, anyways?" the large, frightening Mr. Bloor smiled coldly. HE was reluctant to send the signal, but he didn't have all day to persuade Mr. Toothpick.

"Ahh…"he said quite loudly. "I need to take…her…to my academy to run some tests on…her intelligence…" that was the queue. Manfred got out of the car and walked toward the school.

Mr. Akole might be stupid, but he knew when something was going on. "Like an IQ test? We have some papers here just for that." A vein in his right arm pulsed. He was scared, lying, or suspicious, All three of them in this occasion.

Oh, well, we need some special equipment. I am thinking of… enrolling her in my academy." he looked over. "Manfred, I told you to stay in the car!" at that moment, a young man, Apparently named Manfred, walked in. he had his long, dark hair tied up in a pony tail, and his eyes- the were as dark as coals, yet somehow inviting. Surely it wouldn't hurt to stare at his eyes a little longer?

The small teacher felt relaxed, at ease. But something was bothering him. Eboni was. "Mr. Bloor, of course you can take Eboni Yewbeam to your academy. She does not belong in a public school. Lock her up!"

Mr. Bloor smiled. This was working better than he'd thought. "yes, we'll lock her up tight. We are just going to take her and leave." Manfred pushed at Mr. Akole's mind harder to find other Children they should bring back; on trip is better than two. The teacher spoke. "But take her sister, too. She's just as smart." Manfred stopped the hypnotism, and Mr. Akole slumped back into his chair, falling in a deep slumber.

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I'm sorry for the disappointment in Ben not being the fire starter, but I have bigger plans for Master Brown...

Chapter three preview:

_Charlie woke up, startled. Something had waked him up. he looked around. Everyone in the dorm was asleep. From a very close distance a familiar voice spoke up. "pss, Charlie! Charlie, I'm right here!" Charlie's head was clearing up. "B...B..Ben? Why're you here? Wait. How'd you get in? Ben. I can't see you." he turned on the torch, and the few light sleepers in the dorm woke with a start and put their heads under their pillows, grimacing at the light. "Ben- I still can't see you. were are you?" with a sad voice, Ben answered, "I'm right here. I'm leaning on your nightstand." Still confused, Charlie looked over at his nightstand. "Ben, is this some kind of joke? Fidelio? Are you pulling a prank?" as if an answer, Fidelio grunted and rolled over in his sleep. "Ben I don't know where you are, but It's not funny. I still can't see you." with a very sad voice, Ben said, "I know. They're gone, Charlie. They're gone. Both of them. There was no detective work in Hong Kong. some one tricked them. They're gone. The cats brought me back, and I've been unseeable ever since." _


	3. Chapter 3:the Unseeable Ben

Oops!

I have realized that Fidelio was there when Olivia discovered her talent. Just… um… forget that? Yes. Once again, Sorry.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything in CB.

Chapter Three

Charlie, Fidelio, Gabriel and Billy walked up the big stone steps to Bloor's Academy. Fidelio's hair looked normal again, so Charlie blamed it on his imagination. They met up with Olivia, a tall girl with extremely long purple-black hair this week and black nail polish. _I guess this week's theme is black. _Charlie thought to himself with humor. This statement, in fact, was true. She was dressed in a short black dress with extremely high purple-black striped socks that ended way over the knee, and wore black lace up high heel boots, and she even wore a Darker-coloured purple cape. She smiled and said "I'm the witch in the new play. Can't tell you what the play is, though! Hey, Fido!"

Fidelio was exactly right. She was the exact different of last term. Olivia smiled (which looked a bit odd with her dark lipstick and white make-up) with the best enthusiasm. They all walked up the stairs and into the hall with waves from various people. They boys left Olivia to enter a door with two crossing trumpets over it. Billy Opened the door, but no one entered. They were all watching in awe as Mr. Bloor entered, each hand closing on the shoulders of two girls- one of which was blindfolded. Charlie had recognized them. They went to his old school- were they the fire starters? What were they're names? Eboni…. And…. He didn't know the other one. She hardly ever spoke, and when she did, it was a soft whisper. It had some relation to Eboni's though. They were sisters. There last names were- _Yewbeam._

How could've Charlie been that dumb? They were _Yewbeams. _They were probably sent by the aunts to watch him. More spies! Even though they were sisters, the statement "fraternal twins" was stretched way too far. Eboni was a tall, thick, tanned girl with unruly short red hair that was always in a tight, frizzed curl hanging around her stout, round face. She was very confident, popular, and outgoing. She was blindfolded with a strangely familiar black tie, and was putting up quite a fight.

The other girl was short, thin, and kept constantly looking down; hiding her odd grey eyes and long, pale face behind a curtain of perfectly parted pin-straight hair. She had no friends, and always wrote in a black notebook during breaks. They were both led out of sight, and the whole crowd moved on as if nothing happened. It seemed only the endowed thought about it. Classes proceeded as usual, and nothing else happened that whole day. But when night came, something happened that would dash Charlie's hopes of this being a normal term.

Charlie woke up, startled. Something had waked him up. he looked around. Everyone in the dorm was asleep. From a very close distance a familiar voice spoke up. "pss, Charlie! Charlie, I'm right here!" Charlie's head was clearing up. "B...B..Ben? Why're you here? Wait. How'd you get in? Ben. I can't see you." he turned on the torch, and the few light sleepers in the dorm woke with a start and put their heads under their pillows, grimacing at the light. "Ben- I still can't see you. Where you?" with a sad voice, Ben answered, "I'm right here. I'm leaning on your nightstand." Still confused, Charlie looked over at his nightstand. "Ben, is this some kind of joke? Fidelio? Are you pulling a prank?" as if an answer, Fidelio grunted and rolled over in his sleep. "Ben I don't know where you are, but it's not funny. I still can't see you." with a very sad voice, Ben said, "I know. They're gone, Charlie. They're gone. Both of them. There was no detective work in Hong Kong. Some one tricked them. They're gone. The cats brought me back, and I've been unseeable ever since_."_

Charlie gasped. "You mean, your parents…" he imagined Ben nodding sadly, for he didn't say anything. "Well, we must think about getting you seeable again. Maybe thinking about a happy thing, since you became unseeable as you became sad." There was a long pause, then, "No. Won't work. Just tried it. Thought about my seventh birthday party. Only one when you weren't the only one there. My cousin came. Don't you remember?

Charlie remembered only to well. After talking to his cousin alone, he discovered he only came because he was forced to. But nonetheless, he realized why this had been a good memory for Ben.

"Anyways," Ben added. "I can go through things, too, like I'm made out of air. And there are a lot of things that weren't there before, like this book I found In my room." Charlie pointed out that he didn't see anything. "well, maybe you could think about what you look like, than. If you were made out of air, than this might work. After a long two minutes, Ben popped into view, though he was very sad-looking. "Ben! I can see you!" Charlie harshly whispered. Ben looked in the mirror. He had no reflection. Sadly, he said, "I can't." Charlie moved the torch over to him. He had no shadow, either, and he made no noise when he reached the creaky floor boards. "Ben," Charlie asked. "What was that book named?" Ben looked up. He was fading from view. "It was a diary, a notebook, rather. It had a black cover. It had a name and a title on the front page, though. It said, 'Rowan Yewbeam, president of the Dreamers' society'. Ever heard of a thing like that?" Charlie didn't answer. It just hit him that Ben was endowed. And that he was bound to take is side if he went to Bloor's. And that if he did, he would be in grave danger. "Ben," he started. "It would be better that you stay in the school, now that you are already in it. But whatever you do, _stay unseeable. _Understand?" In truth, Ben didn't understand one but, but he agreed. This was to be a long term for Charlie Bone.


	4. Chapter 4: things go wrong

Chapter 4

The following week went by fairly fast. Eboni Yewbeam was enrolled in Bloor's on Wednesday, and was the fire-starter. Her sister was nowhere to be seen. Eboni was loud, obnoxious, and hated Charlie with all her might- and was best friends with Zelda Dobinski. Everything but the food was perfect that week, and that was oddly peculiar Because Cook would never allow the slop they were given to be even placed on her plates. Every night, Charlie visited Ben, who could now change his appearance and could walk through things, both very useful features. It was on Thursday evening that it all went wrong.

"Hey, Bone! Get over here!" he looked back to Eboni at the foot of the stairs he just went up. "Bone! You dropped something!" she held up a textbook that was his. He went down three stairs, and felt a small push. He lost his balance and topped down the stairs, hearing a snap in his neck, feeling a pain like no other trickle down his spine. Eboni smiled as he closed his eyes, unable to think.

So, How'd ya think? Sorry 4 the shortness, but…. T'was awesome, pour moi…. Ok, bye!


	5. Chapter 5: something to think about

Charlie Bone Woke up Saturday morning in the school hospital room alone. The nurse looked over to him and hurried over. "Oh, my, you're up! I thought it would take all term! That's a good thing, because if you woke up after a whole term, you'd wake up in a normal hospital! And we don't want that now, don't we? They'd ask _questions, _now, wouldn't they? And we don't want that!"

Charlie was quite confused, but thinking hurt his head. "What…..what… happened?" The nurse smiled. "After that nasty fall, I'm just glad you can speak! You broke your neck darling. Snapped it in half. You did a very good job at it, too. Clean in half, no splinters. I'll be surprised if you can walk again, it was so close to the spine! I'm sorry, Hun. But nothing can be done about it. If only I knew where that girl lives…"

Charlie had a hard time taking this in, so he stuck to asking questions. Maybe this was all a dream? And why did this Nurse look so familiar? "What do you mean, that girl? You mean Eboni…"

The Nurse laughed. "No, Hun, It was that horrible endowed beast, Zelda Dobinski. I just happened to be walking out to gat some more Hepatitis B Vaccinations. We were terribly low in stock… Anyways, by the look of it, she was Hypnotized, and very well, if you ask me. She would have looked in excellent health with an untrained eye. You see, Darling, I can tell when someone is Hypnotized. I've lived with the Bloors ever since Manfred was born…. I know these things….."

"Is that your endowment? Knowing things? I mean, if you are endowed. Are you?" he asked. He would be healed… even if it _did _take all term…

The nurse laughed. "No, Hun. I am endowed, but with a slightly different gift. I got _lucky, _if you know what you mean." She winked. He understood.

"Is your name, by chance, Pearl?" he asked. If it was, than she was Cook's sister. But didn't Cook Say that they went they're separate ways? Not too far away, it seemed. The Nurse looked surprised, then nodded. "You know Aqua, don't you? The Cook. She's my sister. She thinks I am still in Germany, but when I heard of this school, I had to come. It was only when I caught a glimpse of her in the kitchens that I knew I had made a terrible mistake. She will not know, ok?"

As he nodded, a very tall man entered, reading a book. Nurse hurried to turn the lights off. Uncle Paton had obviously visited before. He looked up to see Charlie awake and smiled, but, whether or not it was clearly written on his face or because of the extents his Talent could go on reading people's faces, Charlie Knew that grave expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Uncle P? I just broke my neck. Nothing to worry about. Or is there something more?" Paton looked down. "Charlie, There's been a terrible fire. The whole of Filbert Street was reduced to chars within minutes. Your mother…Maisie… Even Grandma Bone…" he trailed off, but Charlie understood. He felt hot tears roll down his face. The worst thing is, there was no doubt who did it (Eboni Yewbeam, for those who aren't 'the brightest bulb in the box'). His heart filled with loss and hatred that made his fractured neck hurt. "I know who did it." Charlie plainly said. He couldn't think. "I do too." Paton answered. "Will she be punished?"

This time, His uncle sighed. "No. Who would believe us? 'The girl set fire to a whole street just by looking at it!' No one would, Charlie. There's nothing we can do. You promise you won't do anything, right?"

Charlie didn't do anything. He tried to nod, but it gave him such pain, he couldn't even breath. He talked to Paton A few minutes more. There was much to tell. He had discovered that Early Monday Morning, Paton had not gone to INGLEDEW'S book shop to read. He had given Miss. Ingledew a ring (we all know what that means) and she had joyfully accepted. The fire happened on Tuesday, and he had gone to INGELDEW'S, this time to research, bringing the Yewbeam family history with him. That was Charlie's only relief, that the fire did not burn his Uncle's life work. Paton soon left, leaving him alone for a few hours.

Charlie was visited by many people. Fidelio, Gabriel, Olivia, Tancred, Lysander, Billy, Emma (and Ben, but he was nowhere to be seen; He and Charlie had made a secret- if you can call it that after Charlie had explained it to all of his friends- way of showing he was there. The curtains on one window, and one only, would blow outside, as if there were a fan in the room)had came to visit, but the seeable ones were ushered out due to missing classes. After Charlie had eaten and even ban had left, A tall girl With Brown hair came in, her backpack floating behind her. Charlie glared at her.

"Zelda, Why are you here? If you break someone's neck, you usually don't visit them." She looked at him, and Charlie wished he could take all that back- she looked as though she had never been happy in her life. Her eyes were soft and hurt, distant almost, though her face was not as pale. "Hello, Charlie. I need to explain- before Manfred finds me." If he could sit up, he would- this was to be a long explanation.

"When I first went to Bloor's I was the only one with Telekinesis- though that is not the reason I came. I was a very talented artist. Drawing was my one hobby, my very soul. I loved it. When I discovered my talent, your aunts- Along with the Bloors- took an interest to me. Suppose my talent was useful? They told Manfred to hypnotize me, just to make sure that I was on their side, no mater what. He was very good at it then, too. He could make people do anything he wanted to, even if it was impossible, and no one would ever suspect they were hypnotized. Rumor has it that he told someone to fly to the nearest store to get him some candy when he was three, and they sprouted wings and flew there. I doubt he's that strong, though. Three years after, I think, and the Hypnotism was wearing off. I started resisting. I was getting too strong. The longer you fight under hypnotism, the weaker it gets. So that horrible Ezekiel Bloor soaked my hands in oil, and I was never able to draw anything- at all. I couldn't even draw a stupid circle! So I let go. I let them take over my life. But after the stair incident happened, they were angry at me. They wanted me to kill you, Charlie! I hope you will never experience the thing I did, Charlie Bone. Imagine watching your life through a video camera."

At that moment, Manfred stormed in, And Zelda Ducked under the food tray with a cry and a whimper. Manfred grabbed her by the cape and dragged her out. Charlie was given a few minutes before a short girl with black hair came in. "who are you?" Charlie said. She couldn't be visiting anyone else- he was the only one in the hospital room. She looked up, unsmiling.

"I'm Rowan Yewbeam."

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So, how'd you think? A LOT bigger than last chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: Kidnapped!

Charlie looked up at the girl incredulously. Could this be the person with the unseeable book? It had to be. "Why are you here?" he asked. He didn't mean to seem rude, but it was the best he could do. She looked up at him, flashing her odd violet eyes, looking trance-like. "In exactly thirteen minutes, the alarm will be raised and word will be spread that a child in Bloor's has been kidnapped. This will cause great worry, for she is one of the endowed…… she is in great peril, Charlie Bone… you must help her…"

her eyes begin to change colour, and there were now a hard lightning blue. She stumbled a ways, then leaned on the bed stand. He looked at her skeptically, then, "what are you talking about?"

she stared at him. "Oops! Did it happen again? Yes, I know the feeling. I've just slipped into a time frame, that's all. I do it all the time when something can be done about it." When he gave her a disbelieving look, she sighed, and started again. "My endowment is quite complex, but, in a way, it is quite similar to Olivia's. I think of a world, or time, or place, and I can go there. I can create my own world just by thinking of it. Sometimes, though, my mind leaves me and… Travels, I guess, through time, if help is needed. Only one problem with that, though; I cannot actually hear what will happen, so when I know it is to happen, I run to the nearest person, which happened to be you. I was going to visit you anyways, Charlie, but this way is much more convenient."

Charlie began making calculations in his head. The only ones who could have been kidnapped were Zelda, Emma, and Olivia. "Do you want me to repeat what I heard for you?" he asked. She nodded in reply, and he repeated it for her. She was startled at her own prediction. "This is much more serious than I thought. Charlie, have you ever heard of the Dreamers' Society?"

He remembered the book Ben had seen, and nodded. "You're the president of it." She looked at him quizzically. "Yes… I'll ask about that later… anyways, the dreamers' society is a group of endowed people that have similar endowment as me. I realized a few days after I discovered my talent how powerful I could be. I could create my own world, my own perfect world, and live there, right? Bit I don't, because that would be abandoning this poor, unfortunate world. But to change a whole world, Charlie is a very mean feat. So, I told others with my endowment, and they all agreed and joined. We called it the dreamer's society, for, in a way, we were all dreamers. So, when Olivia heard of her talent, we consulted her about it, and she declined. But we need one more person to change the world, Charlie, Just one. Some people have traveled from North America to join the society. And, if my theory is correct, they have kidnapped Olivia and forced her to join against my will…"

Charlie interrupted. "Well, how am I going to help? I broke my neck clear off!" Rowan smiled. "Let me help you." She wrapped her hands around his neck gently, though it still hurt. Then, he felt a curious feeling trickle down his spine "you are healed. Go. Save Olivia Vertigo from swearing an oath she was never meant to take. Hurry!" he got up, and he noticed that the nurse, Pearl, was watching the whole thing from her desk, she smiled and beckoned him away. He ran out of the hospital room and into darkness. He took a glance at his watch. It was nearing midnight. He looked over to see Rowan glancing at his watch. Her eyes widened as she saw the full moon peeking out from the window. "We need to hurry."


	7. Chapter 7: Saving Olivia just got harder

In ruined castle, there is only one tower standing, though it is very close to falling down. Vines crawl up its surface in creep into the broken windows, and the inside is coated with a thick film of dust. But on this night, if you look closely at the tallest window, you will notice a flicker of light- fire. And, if you were so curious as to put on your slippers and grab your torch, creep down and out of Bloor's academy, and stand before the doorway, you will notice that the boards have been wrenched off the entrance, and the door stands slightly ajar. Then, if you are brave enough to climb up the creaky staircase in the dark, and stealthy enough not to be heard, you will reach a large room at the very top, larger than you ever anticipated. For, since this room was created by the endowed, the inside is much bigger than the outside. And if you were to venture inside the room, you would notice a large amount of people gathered around a girl, not so far from your own age, tied to a magnificent throne. Theses people were very different, from every different race, nationality, and culture you could ever dream up, but they all had one important Similarity- they were all slightly transparent. And, if your name was Charlie Bone, You would be here, trying to save your friend, Olivia.

As Charlie Bone put his slippers on, grabbed his torch, crept out of Bloors academy and stood at the door, he was relieved to see that the boards had been wrenched off the entrance, leaving the door slightly ajar, nervously climbed the staircase, he was not quiet, nor stealthy. Actually, as he was about to step on the last step, it broke and an immense number of bats poured out of it, shrieking as they flew out into the darkness. Charlie lost his balance and fell, uttering a highly audible, "whoa!" as he fell down the spiral staircase. He hoped that no one had heard him, but his wish had not come true.

"What have you been doing, young boy? Spying on us, I hope not? Maybe he was just innocently curious about the commotion." As Charlie looked up, he noticed a large quantity of people- _transparent _people-staring at him menacingly. Brushing the dust off him, he stood up.

"What have you done with Olivia?" he asked, yelling. He assumed that since they were transparent, he could walk through them, as he could with Ben, and that they could not hurt him. Well, he was right about one thing.

HE ran through them, and as he did, he felt the familiar sense of being pushed under icy cold water. An African man lifted up a large knife and swung it at Charlie, who foolishly tried to swipe it away. To his shock and surprise, a rush of blood tricked down from his pinky finger, which was no longer there. A wave of pain, shock and terror came over him. _These are the worst enemies in the world, _he thought as he collapsed in pain, screaming. _They can hurt you more than you could, but you can't do a thing to them._

Charlie was picked up and brought upstairs to a room that was larger inside than outside, and he was thrown down against a large, tattered throne. Beneath the terror and pain he felt in his mind, his sub-conscious said to him, _this is the Red king's throne. This is the most powerful throne in the world. It holds both dark and good power. Many a descendant of the Red king sat on this throne, died on this throne. You are standing before the one thing your great aunts and their followers, and their leaders truly desire._ It was a comforting thought, but all Charlie wanted was his finger back.

And then, the ceremony began. The people began their chants, and one made Charlie sit up. He noticed how blood-stained his shirt, tie and cape was. He also noticed who was tied to the chair- Olivia Vertigo, with her natural mousy brown hair, and a ripped, yellowed medieval-style dress, fighting for her freedom with a frightened look on her face. Looking down and seeing Charlie covered in blood made her face pale and strewn with horror.

"Charlie! NO! Anyone but Him! No! What have you done to him? Please, Stop! Don't hurt him anymore! OK, I'll do it! Just… Don't hurt him anymore…"

Cheers erupted from the mouths of their see-throughable captors, and then they untied Olivia. An old, wise-looking man came before her.

"You agree to willingly give up your life, your fate, and your dreams of reality to join the dreamer's society, to let the very atoms of your being be distributed across the world itself, and slowly change its fate, saving the ones that ignorantly and blissfully walk across its face?"

Tearfully, Olivia answered with a reluctant, "yes."

"Do you agree to never turn back on you decision, no matter what the consequences hidden from you as you take this oath, to let the bloods spill and make the sacrifice worth-while?"

After a while of think it through, Olivia choked out a "yes" between sobs.

With a hidden, mysterious smile, one meant to keep secrets, the man said, "let the sacrifice begin, then."

Ok, sorry It took so long! I had to improve m writing, and most importantly, gain new ideas! I think this one'll have to be put up to a rating, "T" cuz it's a little dark… O well, I hope you liked it!


	8. Chapter 8: The makeshift search party

Chapter 8.

I haven't written in a while. Sorry.

I thought I'd be funny, so……

_previously on This funny fan fiction thing_

"_You agree to willingly give up your life, your fate, and your dreams of reality to join the dreamer's society, to let the very atoms of your being be distributed across the world itself, and slowly change its fate, saving the ones that ignorantly and blissfully walk across its face?"_

_Tearfully, Olivia answered with a reluctant, "yes."_

"_Do you agree to never turn back on you decision, no matter what the consequences hidden from you as you take this oath, to let the bloods spill and make the sacrifice worth-while?" _

_After a while of think it through, Olivia choked out a "yes" between sobs._

_With a hidden, mysterious smile, one meant to keep secrets, the man said, "let the sacrifice begin, then."_

Ben woke with a start. He was in his favourite hiding space, an old, abandoned attic at the top of the tallest tower. The rafters weak and mossy, making it more comfortable. Being unseeable, Ben wondered why he didn't just fall through the floor and the ground, but He guessed that it was the faint blue glow that surrounded every object. If he wanted to, though, he could go through this barrier of light, but if he did not think about it, it was a solid as he wasn't. Having an endowment this life-altering had some advantages, but Ben hated it. He hated being so different. He liked being able to make his hair look less boring and fix his nose, which just wasn't in the right place after his cousin threw an exercising weight at him when he was little, but other than that, He loathed it. He misses his parents. He missed Runner Bean, his beloved Dog. He hoped Charlie was taking good care of him…

Charlie!

He floated to the Hospital room, only to find it empty. "You won't find him here. Try the Castle." He turned around. "Who- Who's there?" he made sure that he was unseeable. He was. Whoever this was, they could see him.

"It doesn't matter who's there. But Hurry. Charlie's in Danger. Inform the other Endowed Children you know will help you. He might not last the night if you don't _go!_" he started to go through the doorway, but she stopped him. "Being a ghost has its upsides, you know! Take the fast way!"

He knew he should hurry, but what she said startled him. "Ghost? I'm not dead, am I?"

Irritated, the voice exclaimed, "No! _Those_ Ghosts aren't real. It's just like Charlie's a Picture traveler or Tancred's a Storm bringer or Fidelio's- No, You're not dead. But Charlie might be if you don't _hurry up!"_

Doing as the voice told him, he took the shortcut, Floating right up through the ceiling and navigating his way through the walls until he reached a room. He looked around in the dark to find Tancred, Gabriel, Billy, Lysander and Emma Already up. He made himself Seeable in the middle of the three, and all five jumped. "Ben! Where's Charlie!" Ben shook his head, flickering from view. It was much more comfortable to be unseeable. "He's in the old ruined Castle! He's in big trouble! We've got to help him!" At that, all five gasped and, already fully dressed for outdoors (incase they had to be a makeshift search party) as they ran/glided to the front door, expertly avoiding Charlie's Aunt and Manfred (this was very hard, once the two were on either side of the group and the four seeable ones had to hide behind a curtain). Once they got to the door, they found it ironically locked, since it takes one Mr. Bloor or Six people of normal size and strength to open the overlarge door, and since Ben Was of no help whatsoever, this was very ironic indeed. They had even made it "Tancred-proof" Or what they called it politely, "Storm proof- outside _and _in."

Emma made a distressed sigh. "What will we do? What _can_ we do!" she Sat down and Gave a soft cry. "Who- Who will save Charlie now? Ben and I could go, I could turn into a small bird and fly through a window and- Oh, No. Just to make matters worse."

The crowd turned to see what made matters worse, and everyone agrees that it did. For behind them was someone they just didn't want to turn up. Zelda.

"Please. There's no time. Let me help you open the door." She ran over to the door, she noticed on one was going to help _her._

"You want to save them, don't you? Why won't you just accept help, even if it's unexpected? There's no one out there waiting for you to come out so you could be stopped. Emma could fly out and confirm it. Please. I don't want anyone else hurt. I've changed sides-for good."

Emma was about to help, but Tancred stopped her. "Wait. Them? Who's them?" Zelda's eyes widened. "You don't know. Oh my God. You didn't even Notice. Do you know where Olivia is?" at the mention of her name, they all gasped, and Emma buried her face in her hands and muttered something about being a "horrible friend". As Lysander ran over to comfort her, because it wasn't exactly her fault, Zelda continued. "Well, she's with Charlie- and their both in very dangerous situations. Now, hurry! I think I hear footsteps." At that, all of the, came to help.

With an alarming creak, the forbidding iron door opened enough for a person to get through, and that's just what they did, with Zelda Holding it open with her endowment until the very last moment. As they ran across the garden toward the Ruins, they saw a faint, flickering light in the tallest standing tower. Solemnly, Ben said, "that's it. It's where they are. There's no stairs, so we'll have to get up another way. Don't ask me how I know." And No one did.

As they thought of how to get up, Emma got an Idea. Reluctantly, she got up and closed her eyes. She suddenly Grew taller, thinner, and more-well, more feathery. It took a while for everyone to notice that she was turning into a bird, and the biggest bird they had ever saw at that. _Ben, you can float up. Zelda, sit on my back and Bring everyone else up with your endowment. Is that even possible? _Zelda nodded, stunned. Emma was talking, but her mouth-ahem-beak- wasn't moving.

Carefully, Zelda Climbed up on Emma's back, and just as they were about to lift off- the door pf Bloor's academy opened with a loud, echoing _Creeeaaakkkkk, _spilling light out onto the ground. In the doorway stood the silhouette of a skinny, tall boy with a cape, quickly rushing toward them.

'Who is it?" asked Lysander cautiously.

"It would have to be someone of the endowed- That's the only reason why we're up. We knew that someone was in danger. It just happened to be Charlie- again." Added Tancred.

_Whoever they are, They coming quickly! _Stated Emma.

"Its not Ava. He'd be the beast if it was him." Observed Gabriel.

"Could it be that horrible Magnet kid- whatshisname?" Asked Billy.

"No. he's too short. He's coming closer- yes, that's definitely a he. And it's too skinny to be Manfred." Sighed Zelda in relief.

"Well, then, who is it!" whispered everyone else.

As soon as they asked that, as if an answer- they figure suddenly materialized into a person- and everyone- even Ben- could give that person a name.

_Fidelio._

Ta-Da! I liked it. This was actually going to be that last chapter. But I like this better. The next chapter will probably be in Fidelio's point of view. Yet again, im so sorry for the time it took to write this! (it took me about an hour to write it, but the time it took was just the amount of time it took me to form thee willpower to write.)

**Turn in next chapter to Discover what we all want to know- What Fidelio's doing out in the middle of a crisis! **


	9. Chapter 9: Fidelio

My little pre-story note.

Sorry. It took a while. But I ran out of Ideas. I really did. It might happen again, though. My apologies. One more thing. I think I already said that I screwed up and kicked Fidelio out of the "I know what's up with Olivia" club. So, just remember that when you read it.

Also. I just read Charlie bone and the hidden king, which sucked. So, I reject the reality, and substitute my own. But I KNEW that …er… him… (don't know whether or not you've read hidden king yet)… WAS LLYEL! I absolutely KNEW IT! So yeah. But that book sucked. I did not like it. It was just a total Anticlimax. Read it, but it sucks. There's no actual action. A big thumbs down for the last Charlie bone book. I wish it were different, I really do. So, All of you that agree with me, here's your book five substitute: The Dreamer's society.

**Chapter 9**

Term Break, like a month ago.

Fidelio woke to the sound of a crashing symbol at three in the morning. It was still very dark outside, but once that symbol went off, a heaping amount of noise followed in the Gunn House, making it nigh impossible to get any rest until late at night. And, lately, the nights were getting later, and the mornings earlier, Due to the fact that his oldest brother hired in a new band as vocals. And, being a music-loving person, just the same as every one of his immediate family, Fidelio's brother willingly agreed for the band to meet at his house. Every day.

By the time the two week break of school was over, Fidelio was almost happy to be starting school so much. Last night had been his first peaceful sleep in a month. Fidelio didn't know what had gotten into himself lately. He had been eating less, rarely speaking, and kept to his room unless he was summoned for a meal. He almost never slept, and when he did, His dreams were filled with enough terrifying creatures and situations to wish that he was still awake.

"_Fidelio! phone!" _Yelled his younger sister from the bottom of the spiral staircase, which reached from the basement to the attic. Fidelio sighed and got up, looking in a mirror that hung on one of the white walls in his room. He looked horrible. Dark circles sat ominously under his forlorn, exhausted eyes. His Face was thinner and the clothes that fit him so perfectly a month ago hung from him like colourful sacks of potatoes due to his massive weight loss. And his hair, once curly and a chestnut red-brown, hung flat and lifeless around his face, a light mousy brown.

He walked slowly down the stairs, cringing at the sunlight spilling from the windows. His curtains hadn't been open for longer than he could remember, and he hadn't seen the sun in days. Halfway down, He ran into his older brother, Felix, taking a break from practicing.

"Well, look at that. The Vampire woke up early. Watch out for that sunlight, Kid!" He teased with a playful, friendly snigger. Fidelio glared venomously at him. "Sorry…"Felix backed up. "No need to bite!" he added with a laugh. "This Band going really good! A few more years of practice and we could be famous!" Fidelio merely grunted and shuffled on downstairs, grabbing the phone from his sister.

"Hello." He said to the mouthpiece.

"Fidelio? Is that you?" Said a flighty girl on the other end. Olivia.

Fidelio yawned. "Yeah, it's me. Is this Olivia?"

"Yes!" she said disbelievingly. "Of course it's me! You sound different, Fido. Kinda… tired."

"Well, I am Kind of tired."

"Oh, Sorry… Well, are you too tired to go to the Pet's Café with me and Emma? We could use some extra company, and since Charlie can't come at all this week, Runner Bean will need some, too." Even through the phone, Fidelio could see her face, innocently glancing up, silently persuading him.

Giving a sigh of retreat, he agreed to meet the girls at noon. "Great! Oh, and Fido?" Olivia asked, almost mischievously.

"Yeah?" he answered sleepily.

"I've got something _very _important to tell you." And she hung up.

Fidelio got ready and left at eleven thirty, choosing to walk rather than to ask for a ride. By the time he reached the pet café, t was twelve ten, and the girls were sitting in the window of a very messy, noisy coffee shop, Emma with a rather large, colourful parrot, and Olivia with a snow white rabbit.

When he got to the door, the clerk nodded him in. "Your pet is waiting inside." The door opened with a ring, and both girls looked over.

"Fidelio! You look… a lot…different," Emma said cautiously, taking a quick survey of Fidelio. Of course he looked different. He hadn't slept in weeks, and hardly ate. But he simply shrugged and gave a half-hearted smile.

"So where _is_ Charlie?"

The girls looked at each other. "The aunts." They said, and Fidelio replied with a simple "ahhhhhhh."

"And what is this very important thing you needed to show me?"

At this, Emma gave a small, knowing smile and Olivia Leaped in the air, startling the animals in the café, which had very good business on Saturdays.

"Come with me! Let's go…To the park? No. To the movies? No…" she thought for a while, and then looked over to Emma. "Ingledew's bookshop?" she asked Emma, who nodded. "But nothing _huge, _Alright, Olivia?"

So they left the café for the bookshop, which wasn't too far away. Once they entered the small, cozy shop, Emma nonchalantly flipped the Open sign to show the "CLOSED" side, and pulled back the curtains. "Customers won't suspect a thing," Said Emma, Almost to herself. "It's almost closing time, anyways. Olivia, Are you ready?" Olivia nodded, and then looked over to a stack of books, taking the top one, an old and cracked book, with the spine falling apart and the golden lettering on the front barely reading the title: _Grimm's Faerie tales._

She randomly flipped to page thirty-two, and as the small cloud of dust receded, there was an elegant hand painted picture of a fairy, faded from time. Olivia studied the picture for a few moments and carefully closed the book with a soft, muffled thud. She put the book back where it was, then closed her eyes, deep in thought.

A soft silver shimmer developed above the stack of books, and it took form into the fairy, a three-dimensional, moving, living version. Fidelio stared at both Olivia and the new fairy in disbelief, and Olivia sneaked a peak at her creation, and squealed in delight. "That's the best one yet!" Frightened, the Fairy tried to fly away, but it burst into a million tiny particles and disappeared.

"So… You're… Endowed?" Fidelio asked, amazed. Oliva nodded. "Charlie was there when I found out. Isn't this going to be a _fun_ term?" Fidelio thought about It for a second as the girls dived deeper into conversation, and then realized something. He was the only one left that wasn't endowed. He had a talent for music, but that was all, and many people could play a violin, and many more could play a violin well than create a fairy out of nothing or hear photographs or Turn into a bird.

"Fidelio!" Emma yelled and threw a soft paperback at him, and he was shaken from his daydream, rubbing the side of his head painfully.

"what?" He asked, annoyed, tears welling up in his eyes. It might have been a soft-covered book, but the point of it hit a soft part on his head, and he had a major headache to begin with. His head felt like it was throbbing from the inside.

Emma apologized for hitting him. "Did you dye your hair? It looks a lot… Darker. I hadn't noticed it before."

"Huh?" he asked, looking in a mirror that hung by the door. Sure enough, his hair was now a dark brown. What was happening? He looked at his watch, distressed. "Um… I've got to go." He said. "Good job with you new... talent… Olivia. See you both on Monday." He slowly closed the door to Ingledew's store and ran the whole way back to his house.

As he slammed his bedroom door, he saw an orange blur dart between two boxes. Thinking nothing of it, he walked over to his bed, picking up his violin case. Nothing worked better than music to calm his anxeity. As he tenderly picked the instrument from the soft interior of the black case, he noticed two more blurs race across the room; one fiery red, the other yellow as gold. _the flames, _thought Fidelio quickly. those cats that were always following Charlie and them around. But why were they bothering him, boring, normal Fidelio?The Amber cat, red as fire, Cautiously walked out of his riding place, the two others following. It opened its mouth and wailed in a low, solemn tone,the two others following in a harmonious pitch.

"what do you want?" askedFidelio, annoyed. the three stopped, looking at him comprehensively.the orange one gave asoft, shortmeow. "I don't know what you want!Im not special, I can't understand you like Billy can, I can't hear your thoughts or listen to photographs, I can't do _any _of that! i'm _not _special! so just _stop bothering me_!" Yelled Fidelio, suddenlyenraged. The bare light bulb in the corner that light his room flickered. The computer on the dark wood floor suddenyl started up. the radio turned on and started blaring music. Fidelio covered his ears, shuting his eyes tight. "_Just...STOP!"_the lightbulb exploded, the computer and radio stopped, plugs blown from the wall and sparking, anda shower of cussingand angry voices came from the attic,their amps and microphones suddenly smoldering.

when Fidelio looked up, the flames were gone, and as he looked out the window, the only colourin the streets were three warm-coloured blurs darting down the sidewalk,for all the streetlights withing a square kilometer had blown up.FIdelio slowly opened thedoor to see everyone scarmbling to the kitchen,all the lights out and glass on the floor.

"the Lights are out, Fidelio! Some sort of Crazy Power failure, all the lightbulbs in the house grew really bright and then _boom!_ The exploded!" Felix exclaimed from the top of the stairs. "All our equipment is dead, What a shame." Fidelio's eyes were round. What did he do? more importantly, _how_ didhe do it?Was it even him in the first place? Somehow he knew it was inevitable. Boring,normal Fidelio was't so boring and normal after all.

The next morning, Fidelio packed and got ready to board the blue school bus, going to Bloors. This was going to be a fun term. Yeah, right.


	10. Chapter 10: Sacrifice

AN. Sorry, I haven't been around to write, so I'm really sorry if you were, say, looking forward to chapter 10. I know long waits decrease the excitement, and I really am sorry.

-Previously-

And then, the ceremony began. The people began their chants, and one made Charlie sit up. He noticed how blood-stained his shirt, tie and cape was. He also noticed who was tied to the chair- Olivia Vertigo, with her natural mousy brown hair, and a ripped, yellowed medieval-style dress, fighting for her freedom with a frightened look on her face. Looking down and seeing Charlie covered in blood made her face pale and strewn with horror.

"Charlie! NO! Anyone but Him! No! What have you done to him? Please, Stop! Don't hurt him anymore! OK, I'll do it! Just… Don't hurt him anymore…"

Cheers erupted from the mouths of their see-throughable captors, and then they untied Olivia. An old, wise-looking man came before her.

"You agree to willingly give up your life, your fate, and your dreams of reality to join the dreamer's society, to let the very atoms of your being be distributed across the world itself, and slowly change its fate, saving the ones that ignorantly and blissfully walk across its face?"

Tearfully, Olivia answered with a reluctant, "yes."

"Do you agree to never turn back on you decision, no matter what the consequences hidden from you as you take this oath, to let the bloods spill and make the sacrifice worth-while?"

After a while of think it through, Olivia choked out a "yes" between sobs.

With a hidden, mysterious smile, one meant to keep secrets, the man said, "let the sacrifice begin, then."

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for…

CHAPTER 10.

A wild roar erupted from the crowd. The man turned around, facing the transparent audience. "Let the Sacrifice…BEGIN!" More wild yelling. Charlie was picked up by the large African man with many piercings and a thin, wiry Chinese woman in a Kimono, and Rowan Walked up, Staring Charlie in the Face, About to cry.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" Charlie screamed. Rowan looked down. "I…We needed her. And, most importantly, we needed the one she cares about most. As…As a sacrifice." She pulled out a thick rope, and tightly tied it around his Wrists, binding them together. "I'm Sorry," She whispered. She looked into his eyes, showing him that she truly was. He gave her no sympathy, glaring back at her, eyes filled with Hatred. "Coward!" He spat. "I Hope You die! I hope you fall in the ocean tied to a Refrigerator, or Catch on fire, or… I hope you die! I thought you were helping me! I thought…" Rowan gave one last look at Charlie, and then turned to the Wiseman. "Start it. Start it- Right In front of our new- and Last- Addition to the Dreamers' society." She said something to the African Man in a different language, and he merely grunted and pulled on Charlie's Cape, urging him to go foreword. Charlie had no choice but to Follow, or be pushed along.

-Meanwhile-

Fidelio.

They all sighed in distress. They thought It would have been someone of the endowed, someone who could help them. But it was Fidelio.

"We probably woke him up." Suggested Gabriel.

Fidelio walked up to them, saying nothing.

"Fidelio, we appreciate you trying to help, but… You can't."

After a long silence, He looked up to the tower, squinting. "How do you know?" he stated, simply. "Where's Charlie? Not In a heap of trouble again, is he? Where's Olivia? Not with him, is she?"

"Fidelio, Go back. There's nothing you can do but get in the way." Tancred said politely.

"That doesn't make much sense." He Stated, visibly flustered. "Billy Can't do anything to Help, unless Charlie and Olivia are being help against their will by easily persuaded Dogs or something."

"I can too help!" Billy Yelled, mad. "Besides, I'm a lot more of a help than you ever will be, Fidelio. At least I'm endowed. All you ever will be is a lousy musician."

At that Statement, Fidelio's eyes lit up. He seemed to be fighting some unwanted, invisible force inside up. He looked like he was about to hit Billy. Trying to stay under control, Fidelio Crossed his arms, slightly hunching over. "I…Am…not…LOUSY!"

Just then, a curious thing happened. Every light at the back of the castle lit- every light bulb brightened, every Computer flashed on, radios Blasted, Curling irons fired on, and suddenly, they Shattered. Windows broke form the force, and glass fell from the sky like snow. Everyone Ducked Except Fidelio, Who seemed to be invulnerable against the falling shards of glass. He stood there, eyes wide, a look of failure and alarm on his face. He fell to his knees, His face in his hands. "Not… Not again…" he said, curling into a ball, softly crying. For a moment, no one did anything, They had never seen Fidelio so pathetic-looking, lying on the floor, crying.

He had always been the Optimistic one of the group, and it sent a shudder though the group, seeing the only person that kept them on the bright side like this. The group was far enough from the school that the Children and teachers peaking out of the windows to try and locate the cause of the explosions could not see them through the thick blanket of darkness. Sensing that they weren't lifting off for a bit, Emma transformed back into her Human form. "Fidelio…" She said softly, crouching down next to him. She gave him a friendly hug, and pulled him to his knees.

"I'm…" He started, unable to continue. "I'm supposed to be stronger than this… I'm supposed to be able to control it…" He said, talking to himself. "Fidelio," Emma Said, Looking into his eyes. "Fidelio… It's ok. It's ok…" she whispered. "How long have you Known about it?" She asked. "The day I found out about Olivia," He whispered, so softly the others had to lean in to hear him. "I went to Charlie's Uncle…I remember him doing something like that… and he…he was Trying to teach me to keep it under control… I can't…I just want to be normal again…I don't want it..." He sat up, sniffing. "Who else knows?" She asked. After a long silence, he answered. "Just Mr. Yewbeam. Your Aunt might know, too, Emma."

She helped him to his feet, and brushed herself off importantly. "Well, we're all forgetting something. We've still got to save Oliva and Charlie." Turning into a bird once more, she let Zelda climb onto her back once more, preparing for flight.

-x-

Charlie was thrown onto the floor, right in front of Olivia, Who was released from the throne. She ran to Charlie, helping him up. "Charlie…what did they do to you?" she said, holding his hand, trying to stop the blood from pouring out of his wound. He looked up at her, and remembered what Rowan had said, that he was who she cared about most. He never would have guessed it. He was her Friend, yes, but Olivia was fairly popular and had a lot of friends. "Charlie," she started, Tears brimming her eyes, "I'm Afraid I've condemned you to death. They're going to kill you. And…and it's all my fault." She said; her eyeliner running with the tears, her hair falling out of the once-perfect bun she held it in this morning.

"No," Charlie replied. "No. We're gonna get out of here, Liv. If we can't find a way, I'm sure that someone's looking for us. Can't…can't you Imagine something? Scare them all off?" Olivia shook her head. "They won't fall for it, and I can't hurt anyone with them. Charlie… If we don't make it, if… If they really do kill you, I want you to know… that I never meant this… I never knew. Rowan… I met her before this…She was my best friend, and I told her everything… like best friends do… But when she asked me who I liked… I didn't know this would happen…"

Charlie said nothing for a long time, thinking about what she said. So it was true, what Rowan said. She liked him. Over all the boys that had asked her out, over every Famous movie star she knew, she had picked him. He felt a strange burning in his heart, pleasant but uncomfortable, and altogether unfitting in this situation. "We're going to find a way. Its ok, Liv. It's ok." A few people grabbed Olivia by the wrists, hair, anything they could get a hold of, and dragged her back to the large golden throne. Another few dragged Charlie back to the foot of the throne, and there it hit him. _I'm going to die,_ he thought to himself. We're _going to die._

-x-

"Ben's just going to see the best way in, and what's going on, then we'll follow." Zelda Explained, seeing Ben off. Ben floated up effortlessly, Becoming unseeable as he did so. After a while, he came back down.

"All the windows are boarded up, but there's a hole in the roof. It will be easier for Emma to land there, anyways." And he flew up past them as the rest prepared for the flight.

It was a curious feeling for Tancred, Floating in the air, his feet dangling and nothing to hold onto. It was also quite frightful, for his life was in the hands of someone he would never have willingly trusted. He kept his discomfort to himself, but he could tell that everyone was feeling the same. He looked at Lysander, whose face didn't give any emotion away to anyone but Tancred, who knew him enough to see past the hard face, and He knew that Lysander knew that Tancred was scared, too.

When they finally met up with Ben on the roof, they saw the large, gaping hole in the roof, and when they crept through, they were surprised to find a large empty room with a door and a rug. "Where is everyone?" Asked Gabriel, looking around. "Wasn't there supposed to be… People?" Emma, who was now fixing her hair and brushing the feathers off her shirt and light blue jeans, walked to the door, and cautiously opened it a crack, looking through. She opened the door wide, revealing a long hallway. "We'll have to look everywhere. Let's start on…" But Tancred stopped her, putting his finger to his lips, the universal symbol for "Shut up". Everyone listened intently, and they heard a soft roar of a crowd. A _large_ crowd. Emma Turned to Gabriel, eyes wide. "There's your People, Gabe."

-x-

The smell of fire. That's all that Charlie could make out as he was blindfolded. Frightfully, he tried everything he could to get it off, but it was tied tightly around his head, and the seam of the black scarf dug sharply into his nose, almost dulling the pain in his left hand. His ears hurt from the noise, his back hurt from the glass on the floor, and his hair hurt from being endlessly pulled to his feet by his hair. He could distantly hear Rowan interrogating Olivia.

"Is he Endowed!" Rowan yelled.

"I'm not telling you! I've done enough." Olivia retorted.

"If you don't tell me, He will die a long, painful death in front of you!"

"I'm not telling you!"

"You think I'm kidding!" Rowan Yelled, and the sound of a knife being sharpened, and Charlie felt the cold blade reach his throat. Gasping, Charlie tried to fight Rowan off, But his hands and feet were held and the knife pressed closer to his skin. He could feel the pressure cutting through the skin, squeezing his throat.

"You said you wouldn't hurt him!" she exclaimed. Rowan Lifted the Blindfold, pressing harder on his neck. He could feel blood. Gasping for air, he tried to stay still, for with every move he made, the knife would slip and reach deeper into the laceration, and closer to his throat.

"OK! Ok…" Olivia Screamed, seeing the blood. "He…he is. He can hear photographs."

Rowan let go of Charlie, releasing the knife, but not before pushing it a bit harder in the wound. His binds were cut, and he was released, grasping his neck. He was beyond fear. He had given up. He was going to die. No one was coming. They were probably sleeping peacefully, with pleasant dreams. He thought of the large recatnglular room in which Fidelio, Tancred, Lysander, Gabriel, Billy, and maybe even Ben was sleeping, of the one empty bed that they'd find when they woke up. _Will they ever find my body? _He wondered darkly. When would they? A few days from now, when the spilt blood was still fresh, or years from now, when all that was left of him were bones and ripped clothes, when the rest had graduated and moved on, Started families and jobs?

He wondered. Would Fidelio ever get accepted into the City Orchestra? He couldn't see why not. And would Emma Ever get into that world-famous Art School in Dublin? He hoped so, that was the only thing she ever wanted. He hoped that Tancred would be able to conjure up snow; he had been trying for a while now. He hoped- He hoped that Olivia would be Ok, whatever would happen to her after. He hoped she could still show up for that movie audition next week that she had been anxiously anticipating for the longest time.

He closed his eyes. He was going to die. Opening his eyes again, he noticed more transparent figures had entered the room, probably the late ones that had missed the beginning. They seemed to be fighting the ones that had been there for a long time, probably a hallucination. Loud explosions erupted from all sides of the rooms, lighting up for only a second before thousands of sharp pieces went flying in all directions, but that was just him, wishing that Uncle Paton was there. He closed his eyes, hearing the sound of the wild crowd, but it sounded different. More frightful than demanding and cold. Maybe it was his imagination. He wished they would just stop.

And they did. Slowly, the crowd stopped yelling, cheering, until there was only faint mumblings. Maybe he was just dying. He opened one eye, just to see what was going on. What he saw was the last thing that he would have expected; Tancred.

"Hey…" He whispered, coarsely. He understood now, as he saw everyone standing around him, trying to pick him up, and bring him to safety. The additional ghosts were Lysander's ancestors and Ben, saving the day. Emma was helping Olivia, Who wasn't hurt, but badly shaken, and the two girls hugged and cried, glad to see each other again. Curiously enough, there was another person with the group, Fidelio. Noticing he was being watched, Fidelio gave Charlie a small, apathetic smile, Uncharacteristic to Fidelio, Bubbly, optimistic Fidelio.

Charlie returned the smile, but he fell unconscious as the boys picked him up, and carried him toward some unseen exit.


	11. Chapter 11: Fin

AN. This is the last chapter. Thank you for your reviews. There might be a sequel planned in the future, but, as for now, its done. Actually, there probably will be a sequel.

Chapter 11.

Charlie woke up at noon. Two weeks had passed since the incident at the tower, and the nurse hadn't let him leave the hospital, even though he had regained enough strength to walk. His hand was still bandaged, but his throat had healed, leaving a thin pink scar on his neck.

'You must be the most unlucky person ever.' Joked the nurse when he first woke up. 'Broken neck, and then… this.'

He had gotten lots of visitors, some just curious as to how his left hand looked without a fifth finger, some staying for a while to talk, even though they had never spoken to Charlie before. And his friends Went to the Hospital room every day instead of lunch, so he was anxiously awaiting them.

After ten minutes, they finally came, with plastic bags of today's lunch- Spaghetti and meatballs, and some salad. They got the chairs and trays out and sat around Charlie's bed.

Fidelio's talent was found out during the second week, and within a few days of that everyone in the school knew. Fidelio seemed to Hate the attention almost as much as the cause for it.

"So," Charlie started, "What's been up?"

"Nothing much, just Homework. We're getting a lot before break. It's not fair you don't have to do it!" Exclaimed Zelda, who had been Spending more time with them, which helped when she was avoiding Manfred. Ever Since she had been awakened from hypnosis, she had switched sides and become more "Well, yes, it is fair, with what you went through; you should be excused for the rest of your life."

Charlie looked up at the Calendar hanging behind the desk. Its was February 23. That was a Familiar Date…

"Oh! Happy Birthday, Fidelio!" He said. "Sorry I didn't get anything for you.?" Fidelio looked even sadder at that. "Oh, yeah. My birthday."

Ever Since that day, Fidelio had been more depressed that usual. He was never happy, and what made his mood worse was that with every passing day, he seemed to grow stronger, his Endowment brimming over to let him do other things, like moving metal and minor telekinesis. It would be a dream for most; except for one major flaw- he couldn't control any of it. Things would float and drop again as he walked passed them, and Charlie had been informed that the main hall was now lit with Candles and All of Fidelio's Classes were spent in the dark. In fact, most teachers had simply refused to teach him, and the only class he had was Strings with Miss. Crystal. That would be the best thing in the world for most children, but it burdened Fidelio with a strong feeling of rejection.

"You didn't tell me it was your birthday," Said Emma, who sat next to him. She was sitting awfully close. They were Practically Sharing a tray. "How old are you now, again?"

Fidelio picked at his food, which he hadn't eaten anyways. He never did. "Fourteen." He said, almost to his Spaghetti. Emma Looked almost as forlorn as Fidelio did. "Well, Happy Birthday, Fidelio. I'll get you something by Monday, Ok?" He looked up at her. "It's ok, really. I don't need anything."

She smiled. "No, I'm pretty sure you need some more Rosin. You looked like you were running out at the pre-concert."

"When's the concert?" Asked Charlie. "I know I couldn't Play in it, but I'd like to go."

Olivia took a drink of Water. "It's Friday. Wait, Tomorrow's Friday. Sorry, Guys, I can't go. That's the day of the audition!" I'm going home tonight. You don't know how hard it was to persuade Dr. Bloor!"

Lysander looked at his watch. "_Crap!_ We missed the bell!" Olivia looked at her watch. "We've still got fifteen minutes…" She said, confused.

"Well, me, Tancred, and Emma have to go, our Art Project is due tomorrow, and we're no where _near _done!" Lysander and Tancred left, and Olivia pushed the chairs and trays back to where they were. "Oh, and Charlie, Your Uncle's staying with me and Aunt Julia, since your house… Since it's gone."

"Oh, yeah. Forgot." He said, forlorn. After this, he had forgotten that a terrible, raging fire had destroyed his house, killing his mom, and both his grandparents. "Can Ben come, too? He's probably really lonely here. "Of course, Charlie. He won't take up that much space. He won't take up any space at all, come to think of it. Well, seeya, Charlie, Olivia, Fidelio!"

The three talked for a bit, and Fidelio left after a while. He was becoming more distant, harder to talk to. As he left the room and all small object dropped to the ground after being released from his telekinetic hold, Olivia Went and Cleaned up around the room.

After she was done, she sat on the bed next to Charlie, who was sitting as well. She took his left hand, gently touching the spot where his finger used to be- should be.

"Charlie… I'm sorry. I'm sorry this whole thing happened." She looked up, their eyes meeting for a split second.

"It's ok; really, there as nothing you could have done to stop it. Really." He noticed that she was still holding his hand, still looking at him. She liked him. She liked him. Olivia, probably the best-looking girl at Bloors (when she's not trying out some outlandish new hair-do) liked _him, _boring, unattractive Charlie.

"No, It's not." She said, and there was a silence. After a while, She Spoke up.

"I…I must have made a fool of myself, that day… when…When I told you I Liked you…You must not feel the same…" she said, blushing.

"What gave you that Idea?" he asked. She laughed. "You obviously don't, just the way you talk to me…"

"Well, I'm sorry I gave you that thought, because it's a lie." He said. She looked up. "Really?" He leaned in, and kissed her on the cheek. "Really," He whispered in her ear. Blushing, she grabbed her backpack, and rushed out the door, but not before giving one last look at Charlie Bone. Once she closed the door, She sighed and leaned against the wall.

"So?" Said Tancred.

Olivia smiled.

"Did he?" asked Emma, secretly. "He better have, that was in ingenious plan. Art project, psh."

Oliva nodded, her smile broadening. "Yes, yes he did." And the four walked down the hall to their next classes.


End file.
